All posts tagged Booker T. & the M.G.s

It’s been more than 50 years since Booker T. & the M.G.s released their enduring instrumental single “Green Onions,” and Booker T. Jones shows no signs of slowing down: the songwriter, bandleader and producer returns June 25 with his 10th album, “Sound the Alarm,” on Stax/Concord.

If 10 albums over a half century doesn’t seem like a prodigious output, consider this: as a lynchpin of the house band at Stax Records in Memphis in the 1960s, he contributed to hundreds of recordings by the likes of Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Bill Withers and Sam & Dave, and he had a hand in writing classic songs including Albert King’s “Born Under a Bad Sign.”

He’s kept busy since then, releasing the Grammy-winning albums “Potato Head” in 2009 (with the Drive-By Truckers) and “The Road From Memphis” in 2011. Earlier this month, he anchored the house band at a White House tribute to Memphis soul that featured Justin Timberlake, Mavis Staples and Alabama Shakes, among others.

“Sound the Alarm” finds Jones playing with an eclectic mix of guest musicians, including singer, rapper and producer Mayer Hawthorne on the title track, R&B singer Luke James on “All Over the Place,” English singer Estelle on “Can’t Wait” and Austin blues guitar player Gary Clark Jr. on the aptly titled “Austin City Blues.” Not every song has a guest: Jones and his band hold down “Fun” themselves, cruising through an upbeat, effervescent instrumental track laced with horns, a funky bassline and, of course, Jones’ burbling B3 organ.

“‘Fun’ takes you to the carefree feeling you had as a kid when you were about to step onto a merry-go-round,” Jones said. “Like a magnet, it’s the kind of song that pulls you onto the dance floor. The kind of song that makes for 3 minutes of sheer abandon.” Listen to “Fun” after the jump. Read More »

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